Home Maid Simple

Tag: memories

  • Strawberry Jam and Strawberry Curd

    Strawberry Jam and Strawberry Curd

    Strawberry Curd or Strawberry Jam. Why choose?! Make both and enjoy strawberries all year long
     
    When someone posts on facebook that Walmart has Strawberries for 88cents I don’t waste any time in heading out and grabbing some. Our store is notorious for running out of things fast, especially when it’s on such a great sale. 

    Once I had the kids out the door to school, I headed over to grab some Strawberries, more canning lids, and sugar – because we were out of sugar. I knew before I even picked up my families favorite fruit what we’d be using them for. 2 lbs for jam, 2 lbs for curd and 2lbs for the kids to snack on.  
     
    Whenever I start canning things I feel like I channel my mom. I can’t remember not having some sort of canned goods in our pantry, and the last couple of years we spent a lot of time doing our canning together. It’s one of the many skills I’m glad my mom taught me how to do. 
     
    Strawberry Jam
    Strawberry Jam
    You’ll never buy store bought again, when you make this Strawberry Jam
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    Ingredients
    1. 2lbs Strawberries, hulled and halved
    2. 2tsp lemon zest
    3. 3 TBS Lemon Juice
    4. 4 cups Sugar
    5. 6 jelly jars, lids and rings – cleaned and sterilized
    Instructions
    1. Combine the Sugar, zest and Juice in a medium sauce pan.
    2. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved.
    3. Add strawberries, and continue to cook over low for about 20 minutes or until they start to release juice.
    4. Stir.
    5. Boil slowly until you get a gel state. Fill 6 jelly jars (or 1/2 pint).
    6. To seal the jars –
    7. After filling your sterilized jars, wipe down the rims.
    8. Dip the lids in boiling water, and then place on jar.
    9. Twist ring to finger tight.
    10. Process in a water bath for 10 minutes.
    11. Set on a towel on your counter, and listen for the lids to pop. S
    12. tore in pantry for up to 2 years (but you’ll use it up sooner!)
    Notes
    1. You can tell it’s thick enough by putting a plate in the freezer for a couple minutes, and then putting some jam on it. If it gels up, you’re good! If it’s still runny, keep boiling.
    Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/
     
    Strawberry Curd
     
    Strawberry Curd
    Layer in cake, top over vanilla ice cream, or eat Strawberry Curd by the spoonful.
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    Ingredients
    1. Strawberry Curd
    2. 2lbs Strawberries, hulled and halved
    3. 1 cup sugar
    4. 1 stick unsalted butter
    5. 4 large eggs, beaten
    6. 4 jelly jars, lids and rings – cleaned and sterilized
    Instructions
    1. Place strawberries and 4 TBS water in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
    2. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes, until strawberries are soft.
    3. Place a mesh sieve over the top half of a double boiler.
    4. Using a slotted spoon, move the strawberries to the sieve.
    5. Push the pulp through the sieve the best you can.
    6. Once it’s through, add the remaining pulp to the pan as well.
    7. Place over bottom boiler filled with water.
    8. Simmer over medium heat.
    9. Add sugar, eggs and butter. Stir constantly until the butter melts, about 10 minutes.
    10. Turn the heat up, and continue stirring for another 10 minutes.
    11. Turn off the heat, stir once more, then pour into your jars.
    12. To seal – follow the same steps for jam. Process for 10 minutes in a water bath.
    13. Store in the fridge for up to 2 months.
    Notes
    1. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can improvise with 2 pans stacked on top of each other.
    Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/

     

  • Memories of Mom Link Party

    Memories of Mom Link Party

    I’m so excited to be sharing Memories of Mothers with some of my favorite bloggers this week! We’d love for you to join in and link up your Mothers Day posts below. 

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    I came across this post on facebook and just love it. I do believe God can actually be everywhere, but there is a special kind of comfort and direction I have always received from my mom. When I feel sad, question things, or have something exciting to share I find myself turning to my Mom.

    One thing I remember about my mom is she was always around. Even though there were almost always extra kids underfoot she babysat, and she gave piano lessons to many kids after school – I still remember my mom being present in my childhood. Here are some of the many things I recall my mom did
    • She taught us – There was a time she’d put quotes up on a whiteboard and have us memorize them. As we started coming home with more homework, she made it fun. We’d have timed math lessons that included running laps around the table as we finished a certain amount. 
    • She made our birthday cakes. They weren’t by any means fabulously professional looking cakes, but they were baked with love and care. I recall a ballet themed cake one year when I was really small. 
    • We had tickle fights. With both my parents, but they were a riot with my mom since she is terribly ticklish on her feet. 
    • She values hard work. My mom taught us how to clean, and to value the work that came along with it. I remember every spring break we “spring cleaned” the house. I have memories of us all in the kitchen in various states of cleaning – on top of the counters, inside cupboards, and scooting around a mopped floor on towels to dry it. 
    • I had many friend troubles as a preteen and teen (who doesn’t). My mom was there for every one of them. Encouraging me, letting me cry on her shoulder, listening, and giving sound advice as it was needed. 
    • My mom taught me to play the piano. Although it was never very formal lessons, she took the time to teach me so I could play hymns in church if the need ever arose. 
    This Mothers Day I hope you’ll take the time to tell mom how much she means to you. Remember the gifts she’s given you and don’t forget to say “I love you”.

    Rules!

    You knew that there was going to have to be some, but I promise we are totally keeping it tame.
    1) You don’t have to stick to the theme of “memories of Mother’s Day” if you don’t want to, just as long as you have linked up Mother’s Day themed posts we are happy as clams!
    2) Nothing that is controversial, I have no idea how you would manage that with this theme but just throwing that out there.
    3) Though you don’t have to run around and comment on everyone’s post we would LOVE you so much if you would hope around to a couple that POP out to you.  If you love it share it, give some love.  NO PRESSURE!
    4) HAVE FUN!!!  I can’t wait to start reading all your Mothers Day posts!

  • Pomegranate Memories #ThankfulThursday

    Pomegranate Memories #ThankfulThursday

    I’m joining Tammy from Creative K Kids, to bring you a 4 part series this month on what we are Thankful for. I try all year long to show gratitude in my daily life, but the month of November with our thoughts turned to Thanksgiving, it’s nice to look a little deeper, and share a little more.  Feel free to link up your thankful posts, or share with me in the comments what you are thankful for.

    One of my fondest memories of this season, is sitting around with my Dad as we peeled and de-seeded a Pomegranate. We only got a few during this season, as a special treat, and if we wanted to enjoy the goodness inside, we had to help with the work of getting the fruit. It was always a fun time, that brought us closer as a family. 
    I am so grateful for my Dad and the simple lessons he taught us using a Pomegranate.  
    – We have to work hard before we get a reward
    – Some things are worth waiting all year for. Even if it’s just a small taste we get. 
    – Family togetherness is important.
    I am grateful for smart, dedicated people, who have learned how to simplify a task, making it a little less hard. Recently a couple of my friends shared this video, on how to de-seed a pomegranate with a wooden spoon. After giving it a go, I’m here to tell you, it actually works! It is so much better than the water method (which I never could get to work well).  
    Now you may think that I’m taking away from teaching my kids with this new method, but I’m not. They aren’t big fans of this delicious fruit – too bad for them, great for me – and the faster method means I don’t waste as much with my finger picking, seed mushing way. 
    To put it simply, today I am grateful for Memories, Dads, Smart People, and a bowl full of Pomegranate seeds waiting in my fridge for me. 

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  • Paper Coterie Memory Keepers {Sale}

    Paper Coterie Memory Keepers {Sale}

    Paper Coterie has just introduced a new size of their Memory Keeper – the 10X10.  These boxes look so cute, and perfect for holding momentos. In a book I recently read (Twelve Months) the main character has a shoe box he keeps in his closet, with things that meant the most to him throughout his life. These boxes take the shoebox to a new level of style, and protection for your memories.

    The boxes come in either a 10X10 or 10X13.  Normally $36 and $42, right now if you enter the code MIXANDMATCH at checkout, you can pick either size for only $20. That’s a great discount!  The boxes can be personalize with photos to really make it yours.

    *Code is valid through 10/7. Cannot be combined with other offers or gift card. Standard shipping rates apply.
  • Foodie Friday – Grandma’s Recipes and a winner

    Foodie Friday – Grandma’s Recipes and a winner

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    If you’ve been following along this last week, you’ll know that my Grandma passed away last Thursday. She went peacefully in her sleep.  I’ve been thinking about her all week, and all the memories I have her. Although the one thing most people remember about my Grandma are her Quilts, I have some memories of her food as well.
    One of Grandma’s best recipes was for pie! No one could make a pie like my Grandma could. To avoid the War, my Grandpa took a job at a ranch, and my Grandma became cook for the ranchers. She made a fresh pie every day to serve with dinner, and as a result had a very tasty pie recipe.
    I’m extremely sad to say I can’t share her recipe with you. Turns out, she did it all by look and feel, and no one has a recipe. I can tell you however that one of the main ingredients in her crust was Lard. 
    So if anyone out there has a pie crust recipe with Lard in it, please do share with me!
    Then I started thinking about other foods she would make or eat regularly. Potatoes! Growing up her dad would eat potatoes every morning for breakfast. She loved some fried potatoes, baked potatoes, and potato casseroles. Specifically scalloped potatoes. Again, I have no recipe.
    Finally I remembered the perfect food memory with a recipe to share with you.
    A Tomato!
    I kid you not, my Grandma liked to eat a slice of tomato with just a little salt. As a child I thought this was the weirdest way to eat a tomato. Don’t get me wrong, I liked tomatoes, but they belong in a salad- with lettuce, and carrots and cucumbers. Not all alone on a plate.  Turns out she had a good thing going, tomatoes are pretty good all alone.
    I’m going to take todays recipe one step further for you though. When I married Mark I became aware of another very odd way of eating tomatoes. A tomato sandwich. No bacon or lettuce with it. Just tomato. Turns out Mark knew that tomatoes were good without anything extra.
    Tomato Sandwich
    Ingredients
    -small Roma Tomato, sliced
    -2 slices bread
    – miracle whip or mayo
    – salt and pepper
    Directions
    Choose your bread. Any bread works. My personal favorite though is an Onion Bagel.  Spread some Miracle Whip on one side of each bread slice.  Add tomato slices to your hearts desire. Season with a little salt and pepper. Sit back and enjoy a very refreshing sandwich.
     Winner Winner Chicken Dinner
    If you linked up a recipe last week you were entered into a giveaway for a $25 Walmart Gift Card. Unfortunately I can only give it to a US resident (so sorry!).  Thanks to Random.org our winner is
    Amanda from At the Red Table
    with her recipe for Pasta e Fagioli
    Thanks for linking up Amanda!!
    Now it’s your turn!  Please join Diane and I in sharing some of your favorite recipes on the linky below. Feel free to link up as many recipes as you like, as long as you haven’t linked them with us before. Also if you’d like to grab our button and post it on your site, we’d love you forever! (OH and it will be smaller when you paste it, I just like mine big).
    Happy Recipe Hunting

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  • Sentimental Sunday – Childhood memory

    Sentimental Sunday – Childhood memory

    Did you ever have one of these? Do you still have one?
    The majority of my childhood we lived in a duplex with my Aunt and Uncle on the other side.  I have so many fond memories of those times spent on the other side of the house.  For example, every Saturday morning, Aunt J would cook us pancakes, in whatever shape we requested. We had tons of Mickey Mouse pancakes, but periodically tried testing her skills with dinosaurs and teddy bears.
    Another fond memory is her air Popcorn maker. When we had movie nights, we would head next door to pop our own popcorn. I loved pouring the kernels in, and then watching them pop, it was just so very cool!! We could add as much butter and salt as we wanted, and no ones bowl had the same amount of flavoring.
    For a long time now, I’ve been wanting an air Popcorn maker.  Thanks to a gift card I got to Macy’s I was able to purchase (for free!) this Bella retro style Popcorn maker. I can’t wait to share these memories and make new ones with my own kids. These are really so much fun! 
    I’m linking up over at The Heartfelt Home
    Sit Relax and Read